The following unit on stars is designed to be a three week mini unit that would really be a part of a larger unit in Earth Science covering the subject of Astronomy. I chose the topic of stars because it is a familiar area in astronomy that many students have already been acquainted with in earlier grades. In this unit I plan on taking the prior knowledge my students already have about stars, addressing/correcting the common misconceptions, and building on that foundation with new concepts and ideas that will give students a wider breadth of knowledge about the properties, interactions, and existence of stars. Along with a scientific perception of astronomy and the ability to make relevant connections between science and their everyday lives.
To accomplish this I have imbedded, in this unit, numerous activities that are hands on and involve cooperative learning, access to technology and the internet, and presenting scientific information. These experiences will create many meaningful learning opportunities for students by requiring them to question what they already know about the universe, what they don’t know about the universe, and what they observe in nature. Students will also be given the chance to experience the phenomena first hand by going out and observing the night sky. Students will need to apply their observations of nature to lessons and discussions in the classroom as well as apply the concepts they learn in the classroom to what they see in nature. Students will even have the opportunity to explore some of the many unknowns in astronomy that even scientists are still uncertain of.
To accomplish this I have imbedded, in this unit, numerous activities that are hands on and involve cooperative learning, access to technology and the internet, and presenting scientific information. These experiences will create many meaningful learning opportunities for students by requiring them to question what they already know about the universe, what they don’t know about the universe, and what they observe in nature. Students will also be given the chance to experience the phenomena first hand by going out and observing the night sky. Students will need to apply their observations of nature to lessons and discussions in the classroom as well as apply the concepts they learn in the classroom to what they see in nature. Students will even have the opportunity to explore some of the many unknowns in astronomy that even scientists are still uncertain of.